Posts Tagged ‘film adaptations’

It’s always a little nerve-wracking to go see the movie adaptation of a book that you love. Somehow, they never get quite the way you imagined in your mind. When they do get it right though, it can be so much fun to watch your favorite story play out before your eyes. Here are a few adaptations of books that we think stand out from the rest. Add your favorite below!

Fight Club(1999)

Director David Fincher does an excellent job of keeping the audience in the limited mind of the narrator (played by Edward Norton). Although he changes up the ending, the twist is just as surprising as in Chuck Palahniuk’s novel.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

I’m pretty sure there aren’t many people who don’t like this movie. It manages to be both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time – the perfect companion to Stephen King’s novella, “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” (from the collection Different Seasons).

We Need to Talk about Kevin (2011)

This film did not receive the accolades it deserved (particularly for incredible performances by Tilda Swinton and newcomer Ezra Miller). Lionel Shriver’s novel is written in the form of letters, revealing itself slowly. That’s difficult to adapt, but it’s done eloquently in the film, told through memories instead of letters. Personally, I’ve never been more affected by a movie. Warning: it’s not for the faint of heart.

Stand by Me(1986)

Another Stephen King work makes the list! Based on the novella The Body, this is the coming of age story. Director Rob Reiner knew exactly how to pull realistic performances from his young actors that ring true even today. This one is a personal favorite.

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Based on Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Francis Ford Coppola masterfully captured the horror (“the horror!”) of the novel, all while making it relevant to a modern audience by setting in Vietnam instead of colonial Congo, and exposing its absurdities. Considering it famously took the passionate director 16 months just to film, we’re glad he got it right!